A sling schpiel

So I called the Gyn office, I have an appointment for next Monday. I felt great yesterday, got a bunch done, did school with Chloe, got my passport info into the passport office, got the floors cleaned and laundry caught up. I hope today is as great. I'm babysitting a friend's one year old for a couple hours this morning, so I don't plan on getting too much done. :o) He's great fun though - it's kind of fun to have a boy in the house when he's here.

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Deb asked about slings. Here's a picture of Cora in hers when we were at Disneyland last spring:

It's basically just a long stretch of fabric with a couple of rings at one end, which learned to use properly allows you to carry your baby for long periods of time without actually using your hands at all. I canned applesauce one day with her in the sling when she was just a couple of months old (except for the hot parts!) It spreads the baby's weight around your body so your arms don't get tired, and you can feasibly carry the baby for hours on end without much trouble. Especially great for babies that love to be held, or for crowded places that a stroller would be troublesome in. You can start them in the sling as soon as they are born, and use it as long as you want - I carried Chloe in a sling through the airport when she was three years old - it converts into a sort of back carrier when they get heavier, allowing them to ride piggyback style with support.

Honestly, I don't think I could live without a sling. Especially with two kids - it keeps baby held constantly when they need it, but your hands are free to care for big brother or sister. And it's great for the baby - huge bonding, as compared to sitting around in one of those awful plastic carriers or a stroller.

Anyway, that's my schpiel for slings. I think they're great. When I carried Cora in one all the time, people were always asking me about them. I think I sold probably 8 or 10 slings in a two or three month period. She was great advertisement. :o)

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Chloe's party plans are coming along well. Does anyone want to offer some suggestions for games for a Luau for five and six year olds? I need a couple of other great games for them, preferably some that take up some time. It's gonna be the cutest thing though, and I can't wait to share pictures. She's tremendously excited. She also keeps insisting to her grandmother that she wear a grass skirt AND coconut bra. ROFL

Oh, and does anyone have any recipes for something sweet and coconutty, but easy to make and store? Thanks for any tips. :o)

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Quitting smoking isn't going so well... I'm failing miserably, actually. I only had two cigarettes yesterday until about 7:00 in the evening, when I gave up and just smoked. I have no will power. :::sigh::: I'm trying again today - half of a cigarette at 8, 12, 4 and 8. We'll see how that goes. If I can get this down to where I'm not going crazy, maybe then I can decrease to one a day for awhile, and then quit altogether. Cold turkey just sucks, ya know? Blah, I hate being a smoker.